Method of distributing fertilizer in soluble condition



Ma I 1927. I

y 3 G. C. C. SCHRADER METHOD OF DISTRIBUTING FERTILIZER IN-SOLUBLE CONDITION? Filed April 15, 1922 fnfienfor, W z izw Patented May 31, 1-927.

1mm PATENT OFFICE,

eusravn c. c. scnnanna, or Fourier nuns, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB To my 1;

t BERNHARD, on NEW YORK, n. Y. I

METHOD OI DISTRIBUTING FERTILIZER IN SOLUBLE CONDITION- a Application area A r l 18, 1922. Serial No. 552,418.

This invention pertains to a method of distributing fertilizers in soluble condition,

and the ob ect in view isto provide for the application of a clear saturated solution of manurial salts in the proper quantity for each installation and application, and also in safe solution to preclude an injurious effect upon the growing plants.

It is common practice in fertilizing growing plants to use manurial salts in a natural or crude state, with the result that the impurities present in the salts in a natural condition are carried in solution, and when such n i solution is distributed by an apparatus of one form or another, such impurities and the insoluble agents havea tendency to, and do actually, obstruct and clog up the apertures,

screens, and nozzles of the distributing mechanism.

It is desirable that fertilizing a ents be supplied in liquid form and dilute by the addition of water to render safe the application of such fertilizer in such dilute form to the growing lants, and it is desirable, also, that "such di uted liquid fertilizer be distributed and applied at frequent intervals, varying from ten days to twenty days.

A further objection to the distribution of soluble fertilizer as heretofore practiced is that no adequate provision is made for feeding either a predetermined quantity of the manurial salts or to feeding a complete 1 fertilizer embodying as'essential ingredients the elements of a nitrate, a potash and a phosphate which are deemed essential for the nourishment and propagation of growing diagrammatically plants, nor has adequate provision been made or controlling the'rate of dilution for a given installation of the manurial salts at and during the period of distribution and irrigation. On the contrary,such prior systems depend upon the manipulation of valves for effecting the quantity of fertilizer solutionsupplied to the Water as diluting agent,

' thereby endangering the growing crops by feeding fertilizer in excess quantity thereto.

According to thisinvention there isemployed a saturated solution of the manurial salts of nitrate of soda, muriate of potash, and acid phosphate, such elemental agents being high grade salts and the resulting solution being clarified by any desirabletproc'edure, such as by decantin ,for the elimination of sediment or precip tates so as to ata tank of suitable capacity, 0

-to be tightly closed ain'a clear solution, and this solution'is highly diluted b the admixture therewith of water, such d i ution of the saturated solution being progressive to the extent that i' while at the start .of the distributing opera- The procedure followed in carrying out my invention supplies a fertilizer agent to grow ng crops without the possibllity of an in urlous efl'ect thereon, for the reason that tender plants or rootlets cannot be injured by supplying the highly diluted or thin,

solution even at the starting of the distributing operation during which the liquid carries the highest percentage of the 'manurial salts in solut on, as after a few minutes in-' terval followlng the beginning of the distribution the liquid becomes progressively more dilute until toward the exhaustion of the charge of the saturated solution only clear water passes through the distributor,

with the result that the surfaces in contact with the saturated solution are flushed by the flow of water, thereby cleaning the apparatus by the water supplied for irrigating purposes to the rowing crop. By using a clearsaturated so ution of manurial salts, there is no residue that will tend to obstruct and clog the nozzles of the irri ating system. The drawing hereto annexeiiand formin a part hereof illustrates constructionally an a suitable apparatus for carrylngout my method.

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section, and Figure 2 is a sectional view of another form of the apparatus. v

Referring to said drawing, A designates osed at. its ends by suitable heads, a. The upper head is provided with a char ing opening 6 adapted by appropriate means, said opening making provision for the introduction into the tank of a clear saturated At or near the provided with a clear water from any I desirable source of supply, and C is an upright pipe extending alongside the tank and .-a suitable above the tank said upright pipe being coppled at d 'to the feed pipe B. s

is the distributorof any approved construction, the same being shown as coupled at e with the branch pi e C in order that said distributor may he s ifted or oscillated as desired for the distribution of the liquid upon the growing plants. -The upright ip'e is provided with a stop cock finterme iate its ends for shutting ofl" the iiovfc of water through it whenthe ap ara'tus is out of.

service or'to be shifted rom one place to another, but normally this stop cock is opened to full capacity for establishing the flow of water in a certain determined volume.

The coupling e intermediate the branch pipe C and'distributing pipe I) may be of tially "centrally thereof.

the ball and socket variety shown in the drawing with a view to permitting the at-v tendant to operate the distributing pipe D by pressure applied to the handle g, whereby the pipe D may be given an oscillating movement in a horizontal plane, or substantially so, while the flow of liquid continues uninterruptedly through pipes B, C, D, to distribute the liquid as required. As shown, the distributingpipe D is provided with a row of outlets on the underside thereof, said outlets being shownasapertures h, although.

nozzles may be fixedly attached to the pipe.

Water is suppliedv to the tank from the branch pipe C through a connection intermediate said pipe and the bottom of the tank, whereby the inflowing water displaces water or to be closed for shutting off the water flow. The nozzle F is coupled to the delivery end of the short pipe' and it 1 extends upwardly within the tank substan- No provision is made for shutting ofi the flow of water admitted by the short pipe and the nozzle, such as by efl'ectin a variation in the volume of water by manipulation of the stop cock; but, on the contrary, the volume of water admitted to the tank for displacin the saturated solution is mathematically %etermined by providing the nozzle F with an outlet of a predetermined area, which area of the nozzle remains constant so that the rate of inflow -of water into the tank is the same at all times, the stop cock f" being fully opened.

G'is .a connecting pipe extending from the upper tank head to the branch pipe, said pipe G conductin the saturated solution from the tank to t e distributing pipe. As

shown, the lower end of pipe G 1s fixedly attached to the tank, whereas the upper end water.

. magmas 'ofsaid'i pipe G' -is providedwith a discharge shown as a nozzle G which enters the pilesage 1n-the pipe C so as to feed theisaturated so ution into the middle of the column of water flowing from pipe G into the. distribu tor D for efiecting the desired dilutionof the saturated solution f by admixture with the The, saturated solution is prepared from appropriate manurial salts, and although the salts utilized and the proportions used -may be modified, I find that ood results are obtainable according to the ormulaf:-;

Pounds. Nitrate-of soda Acid phosphate Muriate of P0tflSh 50 These materials are placed within a vessel with .sufiicient watere-forty (40) gallonsto produce a saturated solution; The' Sdjlution should -be well stirred fromthe bottom of the vessel at frequent intervals for a day or so, and then' should be left to settle, and only the-clearsaturated solution is used for distribution. Another way of preparing the stir well from the bottom of the vessel'and let settle, which allows the gypsumand insolublephosphate to settle to the bottom, the

sum being a valuable ingredient to he used on thelandi'n preparing the soil. The

clear phosphoric acid solution thus formed will take up the fifty (50) lbs. of nitrate of soda, and take'up also the fifty (50) lbs.

of muriate of potash, making a nearly complete plant food for general use.

When fertilizing the crop, the saturated solution in a clear'cnndition is taken from the mixing'vessel, and with the drain cock c and etc cocks f If closed, the solution is poured mto vessel A through charging opening 1). The-apparatus is now readyfor use, whereupon stop cocks f f are 'fully opened, the effect of which is to establish the flow of water through pipes B C to the distributor D and" to the bottom of the tank. The water thus supplied to the tank displaces the saturated solution from said tank and solution is to dissolve the acid phosphate first in about-forty',(40) gallons of water,

induces the upward flow of said solution through pipe G into the water flowing thrpugh pipeC and distributor D, the ratio of solution to water at the beginning of the distribution being as one to one hundred;

The continued flow of water through "nozzle F into the tank dilutes the saturated solution progressively, and at theend ofthe distribution only clear water flows through the tank.

with the result that the interior surfaces of the'pipe, valves and tank are flushed: and

cleansed by thewater flowing through. the a the saturate .u per part of the-tank, an

A modified form o the solution containing tank and its connections 1s shown m Figure 2, wherein the tank A 15 used 1n connection with certain Y-fittings to provide a. for the assemblage to the vertical pipe 0'.

A Y-shaped fitting H is con led at z tothe one branch a" carries a screen I for filtering solution when charging sai solution into the tank, the up er part of this branch of said fitting H ing closed by a in or ca 2' The other branch of the -fi tting is connected to an incline pipe G attached to a Y -fitting Gr provided on the vertical pipe 0' at a proper distance below the perforated distributing pipe, and this inclined pipe G has an outlet G in the form ofa short iece of pipe positioned for the delivery oft e solution into the mlddle of the pi e A for effecting the admixture of the so ution with the water adapted to flow within the pipe A, the stop cock-7f being open. The ipe G obstructs the pipe a little to secure a etter flow into the appara- 0 this fitting tus without having to partly close the main valve f.

A Y-fitting J is coupled at k to the bottom of the tank, said fitting having the noz- .zle F for feeding the water in the re uiredvolume .to the bottom part of the tan A.

A branch laof this Y-fitting J is'closed by a plug la -to serve as a drain cock for the tank A, and to the other branch of sald Y-fitting is connected an inclined pipe E connected to a Y-fitting K, said'inclined pipe E having the stop cock E. The inclined pipes referred to insure an easier fiow of water without much friction, there being no abrupt bends in the line of liquid flow.

Although the size and proportion of parts may be modified within the Sklll of the engineer, it may be stated that an average reenhouse installation involves the distr1- ution of water to an extent of about eight (8) feet on either side of a pi e line, so that a hundred foot length won d be sufiicient for irrigating seven hundred (700) square feet on each side and requires a one and one half gallon tank charged with sixty oz. of nitrate and potash salts in saturated phosphoric acid solution obtained from one hundred and twenty (120) oz. of acidphosphate to be run out 1n about thirty (30) minutes time 011 each side.

My invention provides a charge container in the form of a tank and connections whereby a charge of the required quantity for a given installation ma be supplied so that the proper amount on y of the fertilizer can be distributed at the desired periods, say twelve (12) or twenty (20) days. My charge containing tank and its fittings may be used in connection with the distributor shown, or in connection with other desired forms of distributing mechanisms 'tribution over plants in a given area of surface, charging a container with a determined volume of such saturated solution, admitting to the saturated solution some of the Water and displacing such solution from the container in a dilute condition and mixing the dilute solution so displaced with the flowing water for effecting the distribution of solution in a progressively diluted condition over thegrowing plants, and continuing the flow of water after the charge container shall have been emptied and distributing such water over the plants for a desired period 'of time, whereby the plant foliage 1S washed clear from traces of such nia-nurial salts solution and the salts with the water become absorbed by the plant soil.

2. In the art of fertilizing growing vegetation, the method whichconsists in preparing a saturated solution of man'urial salts, setting up the flow of vwater through an appropriate distributor, whereby the distribution is effected over a given area of surface, chargin a container with the saturated solution t 1e volume of which is apportioned to the area of surface of the growing vegetation, feeding the saturated solution to the flowing water for progressively diluting the solution of manurial salts and for distributing such solution in progressively decreasing dilute condition over the given area, and continuing the flow of water subsequent to the discharge of the solution and distributing waterfree from solution over the growing vegetation and for a period of time necessary to wash the solution from the plant foliage whereby the water and salts solption will become absorbed in the plant s01 3. In the art of. fertilizing growing vegetation, the method which consists'in preparing a clear solution of inanurial salts, placing such solution within a tank, setting up a flow of water through an ap )ropriate distributor and admitting some oi thewater to the tank for diluting the solution progressively, feeding the solution in such dilute condition to the flowing water and further diluting the salt solution by admixture with the flowing water, distributing the water and the diluted solution over a given area of growing vegetation, and continuing the flow and distribution of water subsequent to the discharge of all the salt solution, whereby the container is flushed from the residue of the salt solution and clear water is distributed over the growing vegetation for a desired period of time for washing the plant foliage free from the salt. solution and .the yvator and salt solution become absorbed in the plant soil.

4. In the art of fertilizing growing vegetation, the method which consists in preparing a saturated solution of manurial salts composed of nitrate of soda, acid phosphate, and muriatesof potash. placing in a container such solution the quantity of which is apportioned to the area of growing vegetation to be fertilized, setting up a flow of Water through an appropriate distributor, admitting water to the container and diluting the salt solution progressively, feeding-the diluted salt solution to the flowing water and further diluting the salt solution by admixture with the flowing water, distributing the admixture of water and salt" solution overa given area of growing vegetation for discharging the salt solution in progressively diluted condition until the charge container is emptied of salt solution, and thereafter continuing the flow of Water and distribut iug the same over the growing vegetation for washing the salt solution from the plant foliage whereby the water and salt solution are absorbed by the plant soil.

In testimony whereof I have hereto signed my name this 28th day of March, 1922.

GUSTAVE C. G. SOHRADER. 

